Mckinsey Game Assessment

First, the Game is not an offer yet, so do not over optimize at this stage. That said, it is good you are thinking ahead.

If you pass and the choice becomes real, the trade off is simple. McKinsey Dubai is a great professional experience, but UK ILR is a long term asset. Once you leave the UK, your ILR clock stops. You cannot get that time back.

Dubai can give you faster exposure, strong regional work, and higher short term savings. London gives you slower early responsibility, but it keeps you on track for permanent residency and gives you durable optionality in Europe long term.

You are still young. You are not late. McKinsey will still be there in a few years. Permanent residency may not.

If you see your future in the UK or Europe at all, I would personally prioritize London and finishing the ILR. If you are confident you want a Middle East anchored career, then Dubai can be a very good move.

People do move internally from Dubai to London, but it is not guaranteed and usually takes time. You should not base your decision on that assumption.

Hi there,

Getting into McKinsey will undoubtedly open many doors for you in the future and in my personal opinion, enables international mobility. Having McKinsey on your resume often qualifies you for professional visas, and most countries should give you a work visa quite easily, with the help of the sponsoring company. However, as you said, it is a personal choice to decide whether you want to risk not getting or delaying your British residency.

Hi there,

From a career perspective, McKinsey Dubai is a very strong opportunity. The work is high exposure, fast paced, and often gives earlier responsibility than London. Being young and early in your career, a few years in Dubai can be very powerful in terms of learning, savings, and brand. Many people deliberately choose Dubai at this stage for exactly those reasons.

From an immigration and life-planning perspective, this is where you need to be more cautious. If you are already on a clear path toward ILR in the UK with 3–3.5 years left, leaving the UK would almost certainly reset or pause that clock. Regaining a similar position later is not guaranteed, and UK permanent residence is a very valuable long-term asset. Once you have ILR, your flexibility increases significantly.

So the real question is not “Is McKinsey Dubai good?” — it is — but rather:

• How important is UK permanent residence to you long term?
• Are you willing to delay or potentially give up that path for a near-term career opportunity?
• Would you regret losing the UK option more than postponing Dubai?

A balanced way to think about it:

• If UK settlement is a top priority, it may be worth trying to stay in London until ILR is secured, even if that means waiting for another McKinsey cycle or a different consulting role.
• If you are comfortable being globally mobile and less attached to the UK specifically, Dubai can be a great move, especially in your late twenties.
• Remember that McKinsey also allows internal mobility later, but transfers are never guaranteed and depend on business needs.

One important point: you don’t need to decide everything now. Focus first on doing well in the Solve assessment. If you get an offer, you’ll be in a much stronger position to ask detailed questions and weigh the decision properly.

You’re not “late” or behind — you’re actually in a strong position with multiple good options. The right choice is the one that best balances your career ambitions with your long-term personal goals.

Happy to talk this through more if useful.

hey there :)

Short answer, if ILR is a priority, staying in London is the safer move since Dubai would pause or reset that path, if McKinsey brand and fast growth matter more and you are flexible long term then Dubai can be an amazing opportunity, especially at your age, I did McKinsey full time and internships and the exposure travels well globally, happy to chat more if helpful.

best,
Alessa :)

This is a classic high-stakes trade-off, and you're right to think through the implications now, not just after you get the offer.

Here’s the reality: getting the door open at McKinsey is the absolute hardest part of the equation. If Dubai provides that path—especially since you are still in your late twenties—you take it. The prestige and accelerated learning curve you get from two years at McKinsey Dubai are unparalleled and create leverage that will pay dividends for the next two decades.

The critical insight, however, is that moving to Dubai will almost certainly reset your required continuous residency period, meaning you will effectively sacrifice the 3–3.5 years you have invested toward UK ILR. You must treat this as a mutually exclusive decision: you are choosing the McKinsey brand acceleration over the immediate achievement of UK residency. It sucks, but that is the cost of entry for this opportunity.

If you are successful in Dubai, the strategic next step is to use that experience (18 to 24 months) to pivot back. McKinsey has internal transfer mechanisms, or you can leverage the experience to easily secure a role at a different MBB or a top-tier industry role in London, often with a dedicated path to future sponsorship. You won't be starting over from scratch; you’ll be applying as a McKinsey alum. That track record makes securing future UK sponsorship far simpler than the entry-level process you face today.

Focus on acing the Game Assessment first. If you get the offer, you will have secured a career accelerator few people ever achieve. All the best!

You still have a game to pass. Don't overthink this until the choice is real. But it's smart to think ahead.

McKinsey is McKinsey. Getting in is the hard part. Once you're in, you can build skills, grow your network, and potentially transfer later.

Dubai has strong work and tax-free salary, so you'll save more. You're in your late twenties with no major ties. This is the easiest time to take a risk.

But three years to UK permanent residence isn't long. Once you have it, you can leave and return anytime. If you leave now, the clock resets. Dubai doesn't offer permanent residency. You're always on a visa tied to your job.

Ask yourself: where do you want to be in 10 years? If it's the UK, staying makes sense. If you're open to the Middle East, Dubai is a great launchpad. Ask McKinsey about internal transfers too. Some people move offices after 1-2 years, but it's not guaranteed.

If Dubai offers you the role, I'd seriously consider it. McKinsey opens doors everywhere. But if UK residence is a must-have, waiting for London might be the right call.

No wrong answer. Both paths lead somewhere good.